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SANDING SUGAR or DECORATING
SUGAR or NIBBED SUGAR or PEARL
SUGAR or SUGAR NIBSA coarse sugar, granulated sugar processed to have larger granules that sparkle, for use on cookies, cupcakes, candies (most famously, Marshmallow Peeps), sweet breads and other baked goods. It is made in white as well as a rainbow of colors.

Sanding sugars available from
IndiaTree.com.

SIMPLE SYRUP or SUGAR SYRUP or BAR SYRUP

Simple syrup is used in cocktails instead of granulated sugar (even superfine sugar), which does not dissolve well in cold liquids. There are many flavored sugar syrups on the market. You can flavor your own with vanilla, liqueur, etc. for drinks, to brush on cake for more flavor and to sweeten tea and coffee—iced or hot. Here’s a simple syrup recipe so you can make your own. See also bar syrup.

SORGHUM SYRUP or MOLASSESSorghum is a grain similar to corn that makes a syrup similar to molasses that is popular in the southern United States. It is used as a condiment as well as in recipes instead of molasses.

SPARKLING SUGAR Sparkling sugar adds sparkling beauty, crunch and a touch of sweetness to cakes, cookies, muffins, quick breads, scones and sweet breads. They can be added to pie crust as well. The large-grained sugar won’t melt and disappear as it bakes.

SPECIALTY SUGAR
A term given to all of the sugars beyond the traditional supermarket types (brown, cube, confectioner’s, granulated and superfine sugars). These include the raw sugars such as demerara, muscovado and turbinado; decorated sugar cubes; and other products.

Sparkling sugar from King Arthur Flour.

SPUN SUGAR Spun sugar turns granulated sugar, corn syrup and water into gossamer threads that are used to decorate cakes, pastries and other desserts. The firm, slender strands are like crunchy caramel candy in the mouth.

SQUASH or CORDIALIn the U.K. and Ireland, this is a concentrated, usually fruit-based, syrup to which water is added to produce a drink of the same name. Apple, blackcurrant, lemon, lime and orange are popular flavors, followed by kiwi, peach and strawberry. (In the West Indies “squash” refers to a lime juice drink, similar to lemonade.)

STEVIAAn herb native to Paraguay that is naturally sweet and has been used as a sweetener and flavor enhancer for centuries. It is non-caloric and the number-one artificial sweetener in Japan. In the U.S. it is officially labeled a “dietary supplement” due to lobbying by the artificial sweetener industry. Like saccharine and some other sweeteners, stevia is available liquid, tablets and packets of powder. in Learn more about artificial sweeteners.

Powdered stevia from the makers of Sugar In The Raw.

SUCANATNon-refined cane sugar, i.e. unrefined natural sugar, that has not had the molasses removed from it (which would make it refined white sugar). It is essentially pure dried (dehydrated) sugar cane juice. Sucanat is generally accepted as a substitute for brown sugar. Unlike regular brown sugar, sucanat is grainy instead of crystalline. It ia also known as granulated sugar cane juice. The name sucanat is a truncated form of sugar cane natural. It is often found as an organic product.

SUGAR BEETWhile the sugar beet is thought to have supplied sugar to much of Europe for some time, it is a relatively recent sweetener: Since the dawn of man, the Western world has relied primarily on honey. Beets have been cultivated since antiquity, but only around 1590 did a French botanist extract a sweet syrup from beetroot. It was not widely adapted, and shortly after, cane sugar began to arrive from the Caribbean. In 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars, the British began a blockade of France, preventing the import of cane sugar, among other goods; in 1812, a sugar extraction process for beets was developed that was suitable for industrial application.

SUGAR BEET SYRUP
An unrefined sugary syrup with the consistency of honey, produced from sugar beet mash. In Germany, particularly the Rhineland area, it is used as a spread for sandwiches as well as a sweetener for sauces, cakes and desserts.

SUGAR CANEA bamboo-like segmented stalk that grows 8 to 24 feet high, its sap is a chief source of sugar. Sugar cane is a tall Southeast Asian grass that grows in tropical climates (Asia, Africa and South America), whereas the sugar beet has its origin in the temperate climates (Europe and North America). Sugar cane originated on the island of New Guinea in the South Pacific and cultivated in the Ganges delta; it was widely used in ancient India and China, since the 4th century B.C.E. References as far back as the 12th century (the Sanskrit epic of Ramayana, circa 1200 B.C.E. describes syrup and chewing on the canes; Darius The Great (549-485 B.C.E.) brought cane back to Persia from the Indus Valley. Sugar was brought to the West through Arab trade with the East in the 8th century C.E. and was cultivated in the Persian Empire

Sugar cane. Photo by Ivana De Battisti | SXC.

The Arabs brought sugar to Europe through Spain, and the first Spanish explorers carried it to the New World. Around 1500, sugar plantations were begun in the Canary Islands and the West Indies. Prior to the introduction of sugar, the only sweetener was honey (maple syrup was known to a Native American population and agave to the native Mexican populations, but few others had tried them). To get sugar, the cane is crushed, producing cane juice, which is clarified and concentrated through heating and evaporation. The raw sugar crystals are separated from the remaining syrup (molasses) by centrifuge. Chemicals are used to remove impurities, whiten the product, and crystallize it into the perfect size. In the end, what began as 14% sucrose is now 99% to 100% sucrose, or table sugar. The processing of sugar from sugar beets was perfected in the 1800s, which meant that people in non-tropical climates could have a native supply of sugar. But as global trading grew and the price of sugar became affordable to middle and lower income families, beet sugar farming waned.

SUGAR CUBES or LUMPS
Sugar cubes were created in 1841 by Jakub Kryštof Rad (in what is now the Czech Republic) to provide a convenient, standardized amount of sugar for coffee and tea (“one lump or two?”). Cubes are available in white and light brown sugar, as well as cubes decorated with seasonal and other themes.

SUGAR CRYSTALS or PARTY SUGARUnrefined decorative crystals of sugar used for coffee. They can be a natural golden color or colored in any variety of festive hues. Their crunchy texture and flavor also make them a versatile topping for cookies and ice cream. See also rock candy.

SUGAR IN THE RAWA brand of turbinado sugar, which is a natural, raw or unrefined sugar. Turbinado sugar (and any unrefined sugar) has more flavor and nutrients than refined, white sugar, from which everything but the sweetness is stripped. With a raw sugar, the juice is extracted from the sugar cane, then crystallized through evaporation. By contrast, white sugar (granulated sugar, or table sugar) is obtained by refining the sugar cane crystals to remove the color and all the sugar cane juice flavor (and with that, all of the nutrients). Sugar In The Raw is made from sugar cane grown in Maui, Hawaii. See also turbinado sugar.

SUGAR PEARLSTiny balls of sugar with a shiny coating, that look like edible pearls. An elegant touch to decorate iced cakes or decorated cookies. They're not oven-proof, so must be added after the item has been baked.

SUPERFINE or ULTRAFINE SUGARA very finely ground granulated sugar used in baking. In the U.K. it is known as castor sugar, it is an instantly-dissolving sugar used in cold beverages, meringues and mousses. One can convert standard standard granulated sugar to superfine sugar in a food processor or blender by pulsing for a minute.

SYRUPIn cooking, syrup is defined as a thick, viscous, sticky liquid that contains a large amount of dissolved sugars which do not have a tendency to crystallize. They can be made of fruit or other plant juices boiled with sugar, or with a sugar base, water, and natural or artificial flavorings. The word syrup comes from the Arabic sharab, meaning beverage. In pharmacology, concentrated sugar and water solutions are used as a base for medicines. The Latin word siropus, which yielded sirop in Old French and sirup in Middle English, was derived from sharab, the Arabic word for syrup.